What “Would” Jesus Do?

The following post is written by The Marin Foundation’s Associate Director, Michael Kimpan. You can hit him up on Facebook, Twitter and his blog.

My dear friend Joel will often interrupt even the most seemingly casual conversations with his peers to stop and look at the example of Jesus in one of the four gospels – or even all of them, comparing the accounts from the different perspectives of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He says,

‘If our job is to find and follow Jesus Christ, we ought to spend a great deal of time looking at what he actually did, don’t you think?’

He’s got a point.

The phrase ‘What would Jesus do?’ (often abbreviated to WWJD) became increasingly popular in the 1990s and many Evangelical Christians used this phrase as a reminder of their belief in a moral imperative to act like him, often wearing bracelets to remind them to consider that question in the midst of their daily decision making.

But as my friend is fond of saying, many of us make assumptions as to what Jesus would actually do based on our accepted method of engagement some 2,000 years removed from Christ, rather than spending time studying and pouring over the record available to us in the gospels to see what he actually did.

This is why Joel will stop conversations, whip out his beat up bible, and diligently search the pages of the New Testament. He is committed to finding out what Jesus actually did do, and instructing his own words and behavior accordingly.

His commitment to this task inspires me – and it’s a habit I’ve attempted to implement in my own life – daily spending time in the gospels, looking at the life of Jesus and patterning my own actions in response.

As I’ve done so, I’ve solidified an under-preached truth ::

Jesus upset the cultural norms for the purpose of standing in solidarity with the Other.

Whenever I take the time to look deeply into the life of Christ as recorded in the gospel narratives, I am reminded at how intent Jesus was in standing in solidarity with Others – those whom had been outcast and marginalized by the elite religious community for one reason or another.

Looking deeply into the life of Christ as recorded in the gospel narratives, we continually and consistently find him standing in solidarity with Others – people whom the religious community had cast aside as outcasts or unworthy, for a myriad of reasons that Jesus – in his divine wisdom – did not find compelling enough for exclusion.

Time and time again Jesus upsets the accepted method of cultural engagement and crosses the dictated boundaries of normalcy – in relentless pursuit of re-connecting that which had been disconnected. For Jesus, the marginalization of the Other was simply an opportunity to shower them with hope and reconciliation.

Jesus stands in solidarity with the Other.

From the very beginning of and throughout his life, Jesus embodies the Divine welcoming of the Other, culminating in the self-sacrificial act of reconciliation on our behalf. Embodying that same welcome is at the heart of our own obedience to God’s grace.

That’s what Jesus would do. It’s what he did.

That is the gospel. That is reconciliation. That is love. And that is our orientation.

As someone who takes the Scriptures seriously, I do not see how I can avoid doing the same thing with those most often marginalized in my own cultural context. This is what motivates me to join in our work at The Marin Foundation, to build bridges between opposing worldviews rather than fighting with one side or the other to dictate cultural normalcy and marginalize the view seen as ‘Other.’ As a Christ follower, I am called and compelled to follow in Jesus’ example – to literally be an ambassador of reconciliation and stand in solidarity with the Other.

What does it mean to you to actually “stand in solidarity with the Other?”

Andrew Marin is President and Founder of The Marin Foundation (www.themarinfoundation.org). He is the award winning author of two books and a DVD curriculum, and his new book Us Versus Us: The Untold Story of Religion & the LGBT Community, will release June 2016. Since 2010 Andrew has been asked by the United Nations to advise their various agencies on issues of bridging opposing worldviews, civic engagement, and Christian involvement in reconciliation. He is currently based St. Andrews, Scotland where he is researching and teaching at the University of St. Andrews, earning his PhD in Divinity. His research focuses on the theology and praxis of social reconciliation between victims and their perpetrators. Andrew is married to Brenda, and you can find him elsewhere on Twitter (@Andrew_Marin), Facebook (AndrewMarin01), and Instagram (@andrewmarin1).

Stephen

Jesus did not condemn the adulterous women, but he didn’t accept adulterous ways either. He tells her to “Go thy way and sin no more.” Part of understanding the truth of Jesus and growing in that knowledge is admitting our sinful nature and turning from that. How does your organization breach what I imagine is a very sensitive subject?

I agree that first and foremost we are to want to lead anyone and everyone to Christ regardless of their sins, just as they are. However, I don’t believe Jesus would want anyone who accepts him to keep on living in their same sinful ways.

http://joeldryden.org Joel

What if Joel revised this statement?: “Jesus upset the cultural norms for the purpose of standing in solidarity with the Other.” to read “Jesus upset the cultural norms for the purpose of drawing EVERYONE into union with himself.” A place which is a wHoly other place than where we are all at.” He took on our brokenness, not to support our brokenness, but to fix it. (Insert unclean/clean concepts here). He loves everyone to death where we are at, but refuses to leave us there forever. I believe he is bent on breaking all the rules of physics to realize his purpose. Everyday our cultural norms, yours, mine, and their’s is all in conflict with Christ’s. Watch out for plankeye syndrome, his love always wins.

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